When Psalms Talk Back: How the Appropriation History of Psalms Challenges Contemporary Ritual-Musical Appropriations.

This article examines how contemporary ritual-musical appropriations of Psalms in Dutch and Flemish post-Christian, post-secular culture are influenced and challenged by the Psalms’ long history of appropriation. Based on ethnographic research of four distinct Psalm performances, it identifies three main challenges faced by performers and organizers: how to address God, how to perform Psalms collectively, and how to contemplate life through these performances. While current appropriations reflect broader cultural trends such as expressive individualism, enchantment, engagement with global crises, and the heritagization of religion, they tend to simplify the Psalms’ historical complexity by narrowing the ways God is addressed, limiting collective participation, and reducing the integration of hope and despair in reflection. The study highlights that the Psalms’ rich appropriation history offers resources to deepen and diversify contemporary performances beyond dichotomous interpretations and one-off events, contributing to understanding the transformation of religious practices in late-modern secularized societies.